Road-smoothing machine



April 22, 1930.- BURNETT 1,755,631

ROAD SMOOTHING MA'CFIIN Filed Sept. 21', 1927 2 Sheets-Sheei 1 R. A.BURNETT ROAD SMOOTHING MACHINE Filed Sept 2 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Apr. 22, 1930 arise;

RICHARD A. BITRNETT, F WILMINGTON, NoRTH cARoLmA I vROAD-S150OTI-IINGMACHINE Application filed September 21, 1927, Serial No. 221,025.

My invention relates to a road smoothing machine, and a method and meansof im- Y parting a smooth surface to all bitulithic,

asphalt or similar pavements.

An object of my'invention is to provide a roadsmoothing machine whichwill shave off the high places in a road and willdeposit the shaved-0Ematerial in they low places in the road and will smooth the surface ofthe 0 roadway.

-Some of the objects of my invention hav ing been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings in which I j 'Figure 1 is a perspective Viewof my road smoothing machine;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a slight modification of my machine;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detailed view of the means for raising themachine when it is desired to turn the same.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral 1 indicates therunners of my machine, on which there is adapted to be securedadditional runner members 7.

Running from one of the members 1 to the other member 1 is a cross piece2, whichis disposed at the front end of the machine and at the rear endof the machine there is r the cross member 3 which is adapted to beplaced in an inclined position for purposes of smoothing the road.'Disposed rearwardly of cross member 2 is the angularly disposed member5, andrearwardly. of this mem her 5 is another angularly disposed member'6, both of these members being at approXimately sixty-five degrees withrelation to the longitudinally disposed runners 1. All of these crossmembers have secured to their front surfaces the steel blades 8. Thesesteel blades 8 have vertically disposed slots 9 therein, and penetratingthese slots and the 7 slots 20 in the crossmembers are the bolts 21having the nuts 22-.thereon, and byreason of this arrangementthe'verticalposition of the blades 8 maybe adjusted with relation to thecross members. Secured to the cross members are the upwardly andforwardly projecting members 23 through which the bolts 24 are adaptedtobe inserted, said bolts having the'nuts 1O thereon. These bolts aresecured in the lugs 24* on the steel blades 8 5.5 and after the nuts 22have been loosened, the blades 8 maybe adjusted by means of the nut 10and the bolt 24'. The cross-members are secured to the runners by meansof the members 25. The 'memb'ers12 are secured to Q the top portions oftherunners 1 on which 'wheelsmay be placedwh'en it'is desired totransport thermachine from place to place when not in use for-roadsmoothing purposes.

Securedto the cross-member 5 is a steel plate26, and penetrating thissteel plate 26 is the screw member '11 which has mounted on the lowerend thereof, tho-member 27, the purpose of this mechanism being thatwhen such screw member is placed in the position shown in Figure 4, thatthe machine will be raised from the pavement-so that it may be turnedeasily. Secured to this steel plate 26 and, projecting rearwardlythereof-and being secured to the rear portion of the memhers I are thebrace members 4.

' A hole 13 is cut in the rearmost portionof thefirst namedangularlydisposed blade 8 and a hole is also cut through the crossmember 5 in order to allow surplus material to-fall through this hole tobe engaged by the blade secured on the cross member 6.

I In the-Figure 2 I'have shownin addition to they structure described inFigure 1, mem

"here 30, 31, 32 and 33, which are placed on top of the runners, 1 forthe purpose-of strengthening the structure and. also for carrylngweights such as sand bags in order to glve the best working results, andin this modificatiom'the rear end of. steel plate 26 9 is 's'ecured ontop of. the member 31, 0therw1se,the structureis the same as thestructure shown in Figure 1 with the exception thatthe cross member 3has the steel blade 34 secured thereon in the same manner as the steelblades 8 are secured to the other members. In using my machine I find itbest to use thesame during the summer months when the bitulithic,asphalt or similar pavement is in soft condition, and when such is thecase, the blades will scrape ofi the high places in the road, the frontblade which is mounted on the cross member 2 being set at a higherelevation than the succeeding blade, that the shaved-off portions willstrike the blade on the cross member 5 which will deposit theshaved-ofiportion in the low places inthe road and any surplus materialwill fall through the hole 13 and be caught by the blade on the crossmember 6, and the 7 cross member 3,--being setat 'an inclined position,will smooth and polish the surface of the road and have a tendency topack the deposited material in the lowplaces.

I have found that best results can be obtained byapplying to thepavement to be treated I a coating of asphalt with other material andthen applying acoating-of gravel orsimil-armaterial, This coating'ofasphalt will soften the surface of the road and will also act as-abinderforthe gravel and shavedofi portions which is deposited in the lowplaces in the road. The shaved-off portions and the gravel and theasphalt will be mixed with each otherthorough-ly by the action of theblades on the cross members 5 and '6 V and the large gravel andshaved-off portion Will be deposited in the deeper holes in the road andthe smallerportion Wl-llrbB deposited in the shallower'holesin theroadway.

In the drawings and specification I have set forth apreferred embodimentof my invention, and although specific terms are employed, they areused'in a generic and descripill-VG sense only and not for purposes oflimiwhen, but the scope of the invention being set forth-in the appendedclaim.

I' claim:

In a road smoothing machine, comprising longitudinally disposed members;steel runners secured on the bottom of said'members, a front'cross-beamextending from one runner to the other, a rear cross-beam extending fromone runner to the other, an angularly disposed cross-beam in the rear ofthe first cross-beam, a second angularly disposed cro's's-beamdisposedin the rear of the first angularly disposed cross-beam, steelouttingblades secured onthe cross-beams, vertically disposed slots in thecross-beams, vertically disposed slots in the steel-blades, boltspenetrating theslots' to adj ustably hold'the blades with relation tothe cross-beams, lugs secured on the upper surface of the crossbeams,boltssecured'to the blades and pene-' tratin-g-the lugs'and a nut onthetop of each of the lugs threadably engaging the bolts. In testimonywhereof I affix mysignature. RICHARD A. BURNETT.

